Fuel apparatus



H. G. I YKKEN FUEL APPARATUS Juy l, 1930.,

Filed Aug. 18, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet l u?, Q mm mm A m mm u July 1, 1930.

H. G. LYKKEN FUEL APPARATUS Filled Aug. 18, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 mzmfarf f@ EJ/aeg@ '50 from that shown in `Patented July 1, 1930 v Pivl'ala'rl oFFlcE YHENRY G. LYKKEN, F MINNEAPOLIS, 'MINNESOTA FUEL AIPPARATUS Application led .August 18, 1923. Serial No.

The present invention relates to apparatus or devices for supplying fuel of more or less fluidal or pulverized character to a place of combustion.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a device of the character dis,- closed for grinding or pulverizing fuel to a given neness, preferably pneumo-mechanically; to provide forcontrolling or 'regulat- 1o ing the degree of nenessor separation of the pulverized fuel as desired or as proper combustion may require; to provide for `controlling or regulating the rate of the grinding or pulverizing the fuel in accordance 1 5 with the demand made upon the device or apparatus and the character of fuel to be supplied to the combustion device; to provide 4for regulating admission of a supporter of combustion, such as air, tothe separated fuel; to provide for maintaing the desired or given grade of separation or neness with varying quantities and with varying qualities of fuel handled by the apparatus; to provide, specifically, the 'combination of a rinder, means for regulating theamount of uel supplied to the grinder, a separator for effecting the separation of the ground or pulverized fuel of given or desired fineness, and a feeding means, the latter having means to produce an air current through the grinder and ther separator for pneumatically eecting the separation, and the separators having means for regulating the rate of flow of the air and also regulatable means C5 for admitting additional air into the separa tor in quantities depending uponl the proportion ofair and fuel required for eiiiclent combustion; and to provide for such other and further objects, advantages and capabilities as may later appear and are inherently possessed by the invention. In the drawings, illustrating, example, a preferred form of device or apparatus for carrying out the invention, Fig.

lis a front view, partly in broken section,

of an apparatus constructed in accordanceV y with the invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side view v of the same; Fig. 4 is a side. view opposite `3 and a feeder 4.

provided at by way of Fig. 3, of the same;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the apparatus; and Fig. 6-is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to the sectional view .of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,where1n the invention is illustrated by a preferred embodiment, the apparatus is shown as supported upon a base 1v and consisting generally of a grinder 2, a separator 60 The grinder or grindin unit 2 comprises a casing 5, preferably o sheet metal and secured, as by riveting, to side walls 6 and 7 of the grindin device. The separator'is located above an secured to the top of the grinder and comprises a main body portion El forming an expanding chamber land its upper end with a discharge 'or outlet conduit 9 leading to an intake opening 10 of the feeding means, the 79 latter having a casin 11 vertically supported uponthe base 1 y means of brackets or feet 12,' the grinder being also lsupported upon the base by means of similar brackets or feet 13. The grinder and the feeder form parts of a single unitary device and are located in alinement with each other so that both will v receive a common or .single shaft 111 l for operating both parts. The shaftis suitably supported in bearin s .15 and 16, asy clearly shown in Fig. 5 o v'the drawing; and mayr be driven by any; suitable means from any power source. Within the grinder casing 5 .and fixed-to the shaft is a grinding wheel 17 85 comprising a plurality of grinding bars or hammers -18 suitably connected to the portion 17 whereby the rotation of the grinding element will affect the bars 18 so that they 90 will act centrifugally against a series of bed# bars 19 for the, purpose of grinding or pulverizing the material or fuel fed into the casing" of the grinder, as the shaft and the grinding wheel rotate. The grinding bars 19 are arranged in spacedv relation and about 4 the periphery of the grinding wheel, a suitable entry 20 being provided in a portion of the series of bars whereby the fuel to be ground may enter into the space between The fuel to be ground is supplied in any suitable manner to a hopper 21 secured to or forming a part of a side of the apparatus as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 6 of the drawings. At the lower end of the hopper is provided a discharge opening in which is located a rotating member 22 having a plurality of radial blades fastened to a shaft 23 extending outwardly through the casing and provided at its upper end with a driven pulley 24 by which it may be rotated by any suitable means such as a power belt. The member 22 constitutes a valve of the paddle wheel gate type, and is located in the discharge opening of the hopper and operated at a predetermined or given speed to feed the fuel, to be ground, at a given rate into the grinding device.

The material when being ground is projected radially outwardly through the spaces between the bars 19 and upwardly into the expansion chamber 8 as indicated by arrows in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

For the purpose of aiding in separating the proper sizeof round fuel to be eventually fed to the made use of which will act to carry the properly pulverized particles along with the air current and permit the coarser particles to fall back into the grinding device. Withinthe expansion chamber is provided an inclined wall 25 directed downwardly toward the inlet end portion of the grinding device to return, by gravity, the larger particles so that they will be again ground in the grinding unit. The blast of air, above mentioned, is permitted to enter throughv openings 26 and 27 formed in the'side walls 6 and 7 of the grinding device, each one of these openings being provided with slidable shutters 28 and 29 supported in guide tracks .30 and 31 suitably secured to the side walls 6 and 7 as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings. These shutters may be manually adjusted to vary the inlet openings between the inner edges thereof for the purpose of regulating the amount of air that will be drawn into the grinding unit. The air is drawn therein by the rotation of the grinding wheel 17 and caused to move radially between the hammers 18, by centrifugal action and through the spaces between the bars` 19 and into the expansion chamber 8. .This action is also aided by the suction produced by the feeding device 4-described more in detail later.

if a b2 degni-ed tlf; admit an additional amount o air or t e purpose of giving a correct mixtuiie of air and fuel for proper combustion, the upper end of the mixing chamber is provided with an air inlet port 32. the effective opening of which may be regulated by a butterfly valve '33suitably:

the'

urnace, an air Lblast isv pivoted upon a shaft 34 mounted transversely in the opening 3 2, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings. Opposite the opening 32 is a discharge opening 35 connected with the passage 39, the latter preferably tapering downwardly and discharging into a central opening 10 of the feeding device 4.

The feeding device comprises a rotary wheel 37 having radially extending vanes 38 which operate, when rotated, to produce a lsuction through the passage 9 and hence in the expansion chamber 8, this suction aiding the inow of air through the grinding device and the bars 19 and drawing the separated particles of the fuel into the blower 4. The rotating of the wheels 37, aside from creating a suction, also produces a discharge current, by a centrifugal action, into the casing 39 of the feeding device 4 and then through a discharge passage 40 leading to the interior of the furnace where the fuel is to undergo combustion. See Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings.

In operation, the fuel, which is preferably crushed and dried, and which may be of any kind of fuel, such as coal, peat, or other grindable fuel, is fed or supplied to the hopper 21. The gate 22 is then rotated at a given or predetermined speed depend-- ing upon the demandmade by the furnace 20 of the grinding device. This fuel is then` moved into the spaces between the hammersl 18 and acted unon by centrifugal action of the grinding wheel to force the materialv to the periphery thereof and the inner side of the. bars 9 where the hammers, owing to centrifugal action, grind the material between the edgesr of the bars 19 and the ends of the hammers18. At the same time a blast of air' isv created by the movement of the grinding wheel as well as by reason of the suction produced by the blowen wheel 37 and the ground fuel is forced upwardly through thelspaces between the bars 19 into the rexpansion chamber 8. It will be noted that the expansion chamber is of sufficient capacity to permit the air draft to separate from the fuel thrown into it, the liner particles which may -be carried away with the air, in suspension, and the heavier particles will have a chance to fall and return'into the grinding machine to be again pulverized together with the fuel being fed by the valve 22 into the grinding unit. A

The separated particles of fuel together with the air, then pass through the discharge conduit 9 and into the central portion of, the blower 4. The rotation of the wheel 37 acts, by centrifugal action, to cause the material to be forced .through the discharge passage 40 and fed into the furnace.

During the 'passage'of the material from the valve 22 may be so regulated as to admit additional air so that the proportion of air to fuel will be the proper amountl for cor- V rect combustion in the fire chamber of the furnace.

It will be uapparent from the above description and the illustration upon the drawings that the grinder wheel and the blower wheel are both secured to a common shaft and operated as a single unit. It willalso be apparent that the blower and the grinder are separated and connected to the expanding chamber and the conduit 9 instead of having the -blower acting within the chamber of the grinder. The advantage of this is that. the separation of the finer particles is made far more eflicient than when the two are acting in the same chamber and where larger particles would necessarily be drawn into the blower, which would bea disadvantage when it is desired to obtain afuel of given neness.

While I have herein described and shown upon the drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the mvention is not limited to the grinding of fuel butA is applicable to the grinding or pulverizing and the separation of any other klnd of material, nor to the particular arrangement of parts, details and constructions shown and described, but that other constructions, details and arrangements of p arts may be comprehendd by the inventlfon without departing from the spirit thereo v Having now described my invention,

claim 1. A fuel apparatus comprising a lrotatable shaft, a pulvcrizer and a blower mounted on said'shaft, a hopper in communicacation with said pulverizer, means in said hopper for positively and regulatably feeding material into said pulverlzer, an expansion chamber, a perforated surface against which the material is groundand through whlch the fine particles are carried into said expansion chamber, means for regulatinga flow of air. through. said pulverizer into' said expansion chamber, a duct connecting said expanslon chamber to sald blower, and

regulatable means for admitting air directly into said chamber for varying the volume of the mixture and theproportions of pulverized material and air.

2, ln a fuel apparatus a pulverizer, an expansion chamber connected to said pulverizer and adapted to' cause the coarser particlesrto settle out of the air stream, regua pla'ce "of combustion,

latable means for admitting air` into Asaid expansion chamber through said pulverizer, means for conducting .a mixture o f pulverized material and air from saidvchamber to cxpansionchamber for regulating the separation of coarse and fineparticles in said chamber. l

3, In a fuel apparatus,l a pulverizer, an

vadapted to retard the air stream passing therethrough and to cause coarser particles of pulverized material to fall back into said pulverizer, and regulatable means for admitting air -near'the' top of said chamber for varying the mixture of air and pulverized materlal and for aiding the separation of the coarse and fine particles in the air stream. l a

4. A fuel apparatus of the character scribed comprising a reducing chamber rovided with an annular pulverizing wall having a material inlet opening in the upper part thereof, a portion of said wall adjacent said inlet opening 'having' a openings for the passage of air and fuel from the pulverizing chamber, a separating chamber located verizing chamber and communicating therewith through the last mentioned openings, a fuel reducing chamber cooperating with said pulverizing wall and having means for discharging acurrent of air from the. reducing chamber through the openings in said annular wall into said separating chamber, means for directing incoming material to the bottomv of said reducing chamber and tangentially of the reducing member, a passage for conducting the ground material from the top of saldseparating chamber, and means in'said passage forinducing a current of air through said passage.

'5. A. fuel apparatus of the character' described comprising a grinding chamber having an air inlet and a separate material outplurality of ioo let, a separating chamber directly above the grinding chamber s o as to receive material through said outlet, `an elongated passa-ge for conducting ground material from the top of said separating chamber to a place of use, a rotatable drivingelement extending through said grinding chamber and into said passage, a grinding member mounted on said driving element and located Within .said grinding chamber directly beneath said separating chamber so that said grinding members will `throw the ground materiall d1- rectlythrough 'said material outlet into said sepfa'ratin chamber, and a suction device located within said passa e and operativelyconnected with said driving Lelement so as i and regulatable to induce a current of air toY dow'f'through. means for admitting air.` directly into the 'the air inlet and into the grinding chamber to separate the heavier vparticles. from the -finer particles of said material. 4 6. A fuel apparatus of the character described comprising a reducing chamber pro- 5 vided with an annular pulverlzing wall having a material inlet openin in the upper art thereof, a separating c amber located lmmediately above the pulverizing chamber and communicating therewith, a fuel re- 1o ducing member cooperating with said pul- 25-vi ed with an annular pulverizing Wall havg a material inlet o'peni'ngjn the upper `part thereof, a portion of said wall adjacent 'said inlet opening having a plurality of openings for the passage of air and fuel 3 from the pulverizing chamber, a separating chamber located immediately above the pulp verizing chamber and communicating therewith through the last mentionedopenings, a fuel reducing member coo erating wlth said pulverizing wall and havlngmeans for discharging a current of air from the reducing chamber through the openings in s'aid annular wall into saidseparating chamber, and means for inducing an air currentfrom the upper portion of said separatorso l as to withdraw the Apulverized fuel from said Separating chamber. p 8. A fuel 'apparatus of the characterldescribed comprising a reducing chamber' ro-4v vided with an annular pulverizing wall aving a material inlet openin in theY lupper part thereof, a separating c amber locatedy immediately above the pulverizing chamber and communicating therewith through -said inlet opening and also independently of said opening, a rotatable shaft extending through said reducing chamber parallel withl` said inlet opening, a fuel reducing member on said shaft disposed laterally with respect to said material inlet, said reducing mem` -ber having elements cooperating with said wall to reduce the material, said members being constructed to discharge a current of air from the reducing chamber into -the sep'- arating chamber, means for directing incoming material to the bottom ofA vsaid chamber and tangentially of said reducing member,' and means for inducing an air current fromVV cathewseparator.through said conduit so v astoj vand communicating therewith a withdraw the pulverized fuel from said separating chamber.

. 9.v A fuel apparatus of the character described comprising a reducing chamber provided with an annular pulverlzing wall having a material inlet openin in the upper part thereof, anseparating c amber 'located immediately above the pulverizin chamber el reducing member located within the reducing chamber and disposed laterally and parallel with respect to said material inlet, said reducing member havin elements cooperating with said wall to re uce the material, said members being also constructed to discharge a current of a1r from the reducing chamber directly into the separating chamber, meansY for directing incoming material to the bottorrr of said reducing chamber and tangentially of said reducing member, and induction means connected with the top of said separating chamber to withdraw the pulverized fueltherefrom.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification.

' HENRY G. LYKKEN. 

